I am not in the race for MP chief ministership: Digvijaya

In what can be seen as the first sign of thaw between the warring Congress groups in Madhya Pradesh post Rahul Gandhi visit, former chief minister of the state and Congress national general secretary Digvijaya Singh made it clear that he was not in race for the state’s chief minister's post nor was he going to contest the forthcoming assembly elections.

"I want to make it clear that come what may I am not in the race for the chief minister's post of Madhya Pradesh and I am not going to contest the assembly elections in the state this year," Singh told reporters at Ujjain.

"However, I would contest next year's Lok Sabha elections if the party allows me to do so," he said.

The Congress general secretary, who was in Ujjain to appear in a court case, later addressed the party’s Parivartan rally.

Supporting the Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi’s call to end groupism, Singh appealed to all partymen to bury their hatchet and ‘work unitedly for the party.’

“How long will you suffer? You have been suffering for the last nine years. But, now we will not allow any further damage to the party and have asked all partymen to work for the party,” he said at the rally. “I am free till November and was going to spend maximum time in the state now,” he added.

Advising Congress workers to take advantage of the ‘growing resentment among people towards the ruling party’, he asked them to avail the information through RTI and decimate it to lowest level.

“chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan believes only in making announcements,” he said and added that the much-publisized scheme to provide 24-hour power supply has not changed the scenario.

“The power situation remains the same,” he said.

Singh also tried to take away credit from Chouhan on agriculture growth rate and cheap food grains scheme.

“The agriculture growth rate is the result of work done by him and the food grain scheme is 90% funded by Centre,” he said.

He also targeted leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Sushma Swaraj, who, he said was very vocal about rapes in New Delhi but she does not say a word about atrocities against women in Madhya Pradesh.

Other who spoke on the occasion include MPCC state chief Kantilal Bhuria and leader of opposition in MP assembly Ajay Singh.